The Forgotten

by Marly Mathews

  He didn’t think that any sensible person would believe those far-fetched rumours. Fortunately for him, the village idiot standing in front of him did believe all of those widely inflated tales as he was quite literally shaking in his boots.

  Lucan took one step closer to him, and the man ran out of the Tavern without a backward glance.

  He moved back to his barstool and sat down.

  “What did you do?” Neri’s sweet voice filled the large room.

  “I set things to rights. That man didn’t belong here. So I sent him packing.”

  “Oh, may the Gods give me strength when it comes to dealing with you. Now he’ll bring the Pack back with him. You don’t think you got rid of him for good, did you?”

  He glanced over at her trying not to be captivated by the stunning vision she created. He wanted so very badly to hold her close, sweep her up in his arms and carry her back to the bedchambers on the second level.

  “If you’re so scared of the Pack why do stay here? A woman like you should be able to find work anywhere. In fact, your beauty alone would get you wherever you wanted—or needed to go.”

  Her heavy sigh touched his heart. Emotion cradled that small sound in such a vibrant way that a pain stole through his heart.

  “I made an oath to a woman on her deathbed and I don’t break my vows. In case you were wondering that woman was your mother. She begged me to stay here and wait for your return. She wanted me to keep the Tavern safe for you should you ever want to come home. She said she wanted you to have a home to come back to.”

  His throat tightened, and he struggled to control his feelings from betraying him. He wasn’t a frail creature, feeling like this and displaying that emotion to her would only make him seem weak—and someone like him could never appear weak.

  “I spoke in haste. Forgive me, kind maiden.” He gallantly bowed to her, as Algernon had trained him to do so long ago.

  He’d told him that all women deserved to be treated like the ladies they were. Only then would they truly be men, worthy of their love. He wondered how old Neri was. She had to be over fifty for his mother had been dead for half a century.

  “Ah, I see the question in your eyes. You want to ask that one question that men should never ask ladies. I am a changeling, we have extended lives when compared to you shifters, though I hear your lifespans far outreach most in Shardizar. The Hunter blood inside of me is quite diluted, the changeling blood is far stronger.”

  “It is true—we shifters tend to have expanded lifespans. I haven’t tested that theory yet myself, as I spent one hundred and fifty years suspended in a curse where I could not age, be maimed, or die.”

  His mind went back to those dark days, and after a morose moment, he snapped himself out of it. The present was infinitely better than his past, even if the present had a few rough patches.

  “What else did my mother want you to do?” he asked softly.

  She looked at him long and hard. Her eyes were sparkling with life as he could see memories flooding over her.

  “She wanted me to—“ She seemed unwilling to voice the last few words, so he prompted her.

  “What did she want you to do, Neri?”

  Neri cleared her throat, as redness coloured her cheeks. “She wanted me to love you.”

  Chapter Six

  “That’s my mom for you,” Lucan said cheekily, a wide roguish grins spreading across his face. “She was looking out for me till the bitter end. She used to tell me I looked for love in all of the wrong places,” he chuckled again, and then sobered.

  Something skipped against her heart, making a shiver go up her spine and tingle the back of her skull. Just being near him sent swirls of longing throughout her. She could not abstain from giving herself to him much longer. The vow she’d made so long ago was about to be shattered.

  “Your mother was the wisest woman I knew. She told me you were a good man, and since I trusted her with my life, I will view you as she regarded you. However, you have brought nothing but trouble to our doorstep. Those bastards will come down on this Tavern like the Pack of Slithering Snakes in Wolves clothing that they are. They will make us pay dearly for your big mouth.”

  “You shouldn’t live in fear, Neri. I am not afraid of what they might try to do.”

  “I’m not afraid for myself, you moron. I’ve been to hell and back. I’m not about to be afraid of those pathetic creatures. I’m afraid of what they might to do everyone else in this village and the county for that matter. When someone speaks out against them, they make sure to kill as many as possible to make an example—to breed fear in all of our hearts. To make us feel as if we were the ones that were the killers. I won’t have more blood on my hands, Lucan, I can’t do it! This heart of mine has seen enough sorrow to last me several lifetimes!”

  “Only cowards do business the way Lord Ulwyn and his men conduct themselves.”

  She sighed heavily, put her arms down to hang limply at her sides, while she bunched her hands into fists.

  “The men we are dealing with are the lowest of the low, Lucan. They are extremely unpredictable. They have no honour, they have no code! Chivalry for them is dead! And yes, they are the biggest group of cowards I have ever seen. They rule through fear. They have no heart. They are merciless. They only gain enjoyment out of the suffering of others. They will not behave the way you expect them to behave—they have no code of chivalry the way the men from your time did. They are mad—they are more animal than anything else!”

  “For a long time—longer than I’d rather admit, I was more animal than human,” he said softly.

  “Don’t even think about comparing yourself to these demons disguised as men. No matter how many character flaws you might possess you could never be in their league.”

  *****

  Lucan didn’t know whether or not he should be flattered or insulted by her broad statement. He was pretty sure she meant it as a slap in the face, but then he hadn’t been out amongst the general populace for that long. Two months was hardly enough time to acclimate himself to the world as it was today.

  So many things had changed—and then again so many things had stayed the same. The world was still filled with bastards who needed their asses handed to them on a regular basis.

  “If Lord Ulwyn behaves the way I think he’ll behave when he hears that I’ve returned, you won’t have to worry about him going on a killing spree. He’s going to attempt to charm me into joining his brethren before he goes totally ballistic. As Alpha, he’ll want to size up the only other wolf shifter that might be able to take away his seat of power. As the 3rd Earl’s son, I am that somebody.”

  “Or he might just try to send a few assassins after you to eliminate the threat. Lord Ulwyn is very volatile, Lucan. He has a sneaky cunning that most wolf shifters don’t possess. He won’t abide by the code of honour that wolf shifters followed over one hundred and fifty years ago.”

  “Why don’t we agree to disagree on that matter, Neri? I think I’m right, you think I am talking out my ass.”

  She pursed her lips and crossed her arms defensively against her chest. “Please don’t try telling me what I think about you. You have no idea what I am thinking. I might be an old soul, but unlike you, I have been a part of Shardizar for the last century and a half. I’ve seen how the world as you knew it changed. You can’t even begin to predict how anyone will think now, and you damn sure can’t get inside of the head of someone like Lord Ulwyn.”

  “Why don’t we make a friendly wager?” he asked, thinking of a way to get what he wanted without having to work too hard at it.

  She cocked her head at him, and bit her lip. The small gesture made him want to cross the distance to her in two strides and kiss those luscious looking lips.

  “What kind of a friendly wager?” she asked, apprehension filling her voice. She chewed nervously at her bottom lip, and her eyes danced with worry.

  “If Lord Ulwyn acts in the barbaric manner that you’ve outlined to m
e, which I grant you is within the realm of probability seeing as I had to deal with one of his men earlier today. Nonetheless, if he acts the way you think he’ll act, then I will move out of my childhood room and let you go about your business in peace without holding you to the promise you made my mother.”

  “And what happens if you are right?” she asked, arching her left eyebrow.

  “Then, you still get to move back into your bedchamber that you’ve occupied for over a century with one stipulation.”

  “This one is going to kill me, isn’t it?” she muttered.

  “It won’t kill you…it’s nothing that horrible. In fact, it might actually make you a little less uptight. Right now, you are wound tighter than a ball of yarn.”

  She continued nervously chewing her lip. “I think I’ve already figured out what you want, and the answer is no…”

  “Why say no when you are determined that you’re right? I mean you have nothing to lose. Isn’t that what you think, Neri?”

  She nodded her head. “Fine, I’ll take the bait. What do you want from me if I lose?”

  “That’s simple. I want you. In my room and in my bed.”

  Neri’s heart slammed against her chest. She felt it almost impossible to breathe. She locked gazes with him. His eyes were filled with fire—and that fire was about to burn her badly. Her cheeks flushed, and she turned away from him.

  She couldn’t do this, she couldn’t agree to this deal and yet—yet, she wanted to so badly. She’d lived the safe way for far too long.

  How could agreeing to this bargain hurt her? She wanted to be seduced by him, she’d be willing…it wouldn’t be like her dealings with the man who had almost broken her body, mind and soul.

  Lucan was much different. She didn’t need her special abilities to tell her that. He had a good heart and a good soul. And, she could still hear Elaine’s plaintive voice as she asked her to agree to take care of Lucan and love him the way he deserved. Elaine had trusted that the two of them would suit each other—and maybe, maybe there was something to it.

  Sighing, she turned back to him.

  “I shall agree to what you want. I won’t lose anyway. You still don’t know what you’re dealing with, and you’re going to get a rude awakening when you have that bastard stab you in the back. I just pray to the Gods that you can get out of your meeting with him alive. Whatever you do, do not let your guard down. Promise me that?” she asked softly.

  “I would promise you anything, luv. Aye, I promise you to never let my guard down around him. I am not an easy man to kill, pet. I’ve only had one person get the upper hand against me in battle—and that person was a woman.”

  “As long as we have an understanding between us.”

  “We do. You are concerned for me, and that concern warms my heart.” His boyish smile made her sigh.

  “This has to end,” he said, gesturing to the empty bar and the rest of the serving room. “It’s not right. There is no fire in the fireplace over there, and the air is not filled with the delicate aroma of food cooking in the kitchens. This place doesn’t just serve alcohol, it serves food as well! My mother’s dishes used to be the envy of many a cook. She filled the empty belly of many who hadn’t the means to pay for their food—she was an angel.”

  She smiled. Some tended to invent tales concerning their relatives as they wanted to have everyone remember them for being paragons of virtue. The tales that Lucan told were the truth. He hadn’t changed any of it to make Elaine look good.

  Neri could totally agree with him. His mother was the best woman she’d ever met. She’d had a heart of gold and when Neri came to her, her belly heavy with child, she’d given her sanctuary. She’d given her love and compassion and she’d made Neri believe in people again. She’d made Neri trust again, even if she still couldn’t give her heart to a man, Elaine had made her see that not everyone would betray her and leave her in her moment of need.

  Those years spent with Elaine had been the best years she’d ever lived. The village had enjoyed a peaceful happy time after Elaine had passed from the world. That had all changed when the last earl had died from a lung ailment.

  Shadows had slowly crept across the land as Lord Ulwyn had taken power. For a long time the Cambrians had prayed for help to come from the Crown City. They had prayed for a miracle in the form of a distant relative of the earl’s returning to claim their inheritance.

  Instead, they’d had twenty long years of misery and that had to change. Lucan had to be their salvation. He had to the one to put everything back to rights.

  “Only shifters, specifically wolf shifters, are allowed to frequent the Tavern. I tried allowing the other villagers to come inside and when Lord Ulwyn found out who they were, he had them killed. I won’t make that mistake again. I keep them away for their own safety, Lucan. I try to keep everyone from suffering, but sometimes there are people in the village and outside who fall through the cracks. Sometimes, all that I can do—is never enough.”

  He gave her an understanding smile. She knew his thoughts had gone to Nell. Had she known that Nell and her family were suffering so, she would have attempted to help them. She wanted to tell him that but if she did he would figure out she was the blue tabby cat and right now she didn’t know if she could trust him with that secret.

  She felt like unburdening her many truths to him, she wanted to get it all off her chest, so she had someone that knew everything the way that Elaine had known everything.

  Elaine hadn’t judged her, or viewed her any differently once she’d told her what had happened to her to set her on the path of fleeing her home country. She’d accepted her, she’d comforted her, and she’d gotten her through the worst time in her life.

  If Elaine hadn’t been there to help her, she would have given into the urge to lose her mind completely.

  Elaine knew why Neri could never return to Avonry. And she’d known that one day, Neri’s past could potentially catch up with her.

  She had no doubt that some of her enemies still lived in Avonry. She could only pray that none of them figured out that she’d escaped to Shardizar for they wouldn’t stop searching for her if they suspected she’d escaped with her life.

  It would be so easy to tell Lucan and have someone else understand why night terrors still interrupted her slumber. She wondered if he, too, dealt with the same issues. He looked as if he’d weathered the storm that curse had blown his way relatively well. He’d probably been born with a stronger countenance than she’d been blessed with—that and the fact that he had not suffered alone. He had the camaraderie of the other men in his Order to get him through the ordeal.

  “You look far too sad, luv. If my wager has caused you this trouble, I take it back. I don’t to cause you any grief, that’s the last thing I want to do, Neri.”

  His voice was soft, almost cajoling. She wanted to find shelter in his arms, despite her want, she remained distant. Maybe someday soon she’d let go and allow him to bypass the wall she’d erected around herself.

  “I’m ravenous. I think I need to eat. I feel like a feast akin to the ones my mother used to make. Can you cook?” he asked her.

  “I’m a decent cook. I do confess, I am nothing like your mother. She had a magic touch in the kitchen. She made me love food in a way these hips should never love the stuff,” she chuckled.

  “Aye. That she did. And she passed that magic touch down to me. I like a woman with curves, it’s just more to hold onto. Come on, let’s see what I can make for us.”

  He offered her his hand, watching her as he held his hand out to her far longer that he should have been expected to. She was almost being rude, she continued hesitating and found herself staring at him.

  It was if she couldn’t take her eye off him when he was near. He gave her another playful wink and blessed her again with one of his boyish smiles.

  “Come on then, I told you I don’t bite…well, I do, but now is not the time or place.” His laugher filled up the Tavern with
light.

  Lucan just might be what she needed—he might be her light in the darkness.

  Chapter Seven

  Lord Ulwyn impatiently paced the great hall of Wythley Castle.

  “My lord, he dispatched Ramsey the way we would dispatch an annoying insect. He is a formidable threat. I do believe what the Royal Newspapers say about him is true—he and the rest of his Order have been touched by the Gods.”

  Ulwyn looked at the small man that stood near him. He was the runt of the Pack and spent his days and nights as Ulwyn’s dogsbody.

  “He is a man made of flesh and bone. He can shape shift like us. He is not immune to bodily harm, you fool. He will die just like all of the other men in his line. However, I do believe we’ve been remiss, Hadley.

  I should think we’ve neglected sending out our felicitations to the man. If he’s the by-blow of a long dead earl, he probably wants to see the inside of Wythley Castle. Maybe we should invite him up here. We’ll see if he will accept our invitation to join the Pack and if he doesn’t want to play nice—we’ll have to make sure he never leaves Wythley Castle alive.

  Now, then,” Ulwyn said, rubbing his hands briskly together. “Hadley, you can go and extend my invitation to him, we shall have a grand time together here, and serve him a feast fit for a King. Off you go, now man, you mustn’t tarry.”

  Ulwyn looked at all that he owned. He’d gone through a lot back when he’d been the last earl’s steward. He had rankled every time the earl told him to do something in his haughty overbearing way. The poison he’d spiked the earl’s wine with hadn’t acted fast enough to kill off that old piece of shit.

  He would have challenged him in a more upfront way but everyone in the Pack knew that Ulwyn didn’t have what it took to fight a Whittier Wolf. They were born with tenacious strength in their blood. Strength that he hoped the little bastard didn’t possess, because if he did, Ulwyn would be forced to kill the man in a similarly duplicitous way.